US Coast Guard spots Russian military ship off Alaska islands
The US Coast Guard spoted a Russian ship off Alaska islands (photo: US Navy)
An American Coast Guard cutter has detected a Russian vessel within the US Exclusive Economic Zone near the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, reports the Associated Press (AP).
On Monday, August 5, the crew of the American Coast Guard cutter Alex Haley detected a Russian vessel approximately 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Amukta Pass. The ship was also spotted by a helicopter crew from the Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak.
According to a Friday statement from the Coast Guard, the vessel was transiting in international waters but was still within the US Exclusive Economic Zone, which extends 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from the US coastline.
The Coast Guard ship did not make contact with the Russian vessel but followed it as it moved eastward.
“We met presence with presence to ensure there were no disruptions to US interests in the maritime environment around Alaska” Cmdr. Steven Baldovsky, commanding officer of the Alex Haley, said in the statement.
Russian ships in Cuba
On June 12, several military ships and a Russian submarine capable of carrying nuclear weapons arrived at the port of Havana, Cuba. Almost simultaneously, a patrol vessel from the Royal Canadian Navy also docked at the Cuban capital's port.
In response, the US immediately dispatched a submarine to the Cuban bay of Guantanamo.
By late July, Russian military ships made a second visit to Havana within just six weeks.
